The Awesome Experiment
by Abarero
Summary: What happens when you get together ten diet Coke bottles and one stodgy English gentleman? America's about to find out. US/UK


**The Awesome Experiment**

**

* * *

**

When they'd gone to the grocery store earlier that day, England had bit back the comment on America getting _ten_ bottles of Diet Coke. But honestly, drinking that much negated the fact it was diet.

Not that he needed to be on a diet, England thought to himself as America insisted on carrying all but one bag of groceries (eggs and bread and other items America didn't want squished by the pop bottles) into the house himself like some tall, slender, pack horse.

Letting his eyes drift to America's figure as he hefted all the groceries into his house, England felt himself flush as his eyes wavered longer on America's waist and...well, rear area. Oh yes, there was quite no need at all for America to be drinking anything diet. But one little off-hand comment about eating too many burgers and the younger nation had been all about heath fads and crazy dieting schemes ever since.

England frowned. Was this some new-fangled diet fad? Drinking ten bottles of Diet Coke? He shook his head as America held the front door open easily (all ten of his green grocery bags in various colors hanging off his arms like a set of multicolored wings).

As they put all the normal groceries away, England noticed America setting aside not only the ten bottles, but a small bag full of...candy? He wasn't sure. But the wide grin on America's face let him know right away that he was hoping, eager eyes and all, that England would ask what he was up to.

Not about to let America down, England huffed and leveled him with a look.

"All right you barmy prat, what are you up to?"

America grinned even wider and put on the most innocent expression he could manage. "Up to? Why do you think I'm up to something?"

"Oh I don't know. The sly grin, the humming, the _looks_ you keep giving me," England shot back.

"I _coooulllddd_ be flirting with you," America teased, practically dancing around the island in his kitchen and tapping England on the nose.

"If you were right mad, you might call that flirting."

America shimmed his shoulders, letting it work down his torso until the shimmy hit his hips, as if he was swaying to some unheard calypso beat. He planted his hands on England's shoulders and, in rhythm with the melody in his head, America rubbed his nose with England's in an Eskimo kiss.

Trailing a hand down the older nation's side, America whispered in his ear. "This better in the flirting department," he dipped his head and pressed a kiss behind England's ear then down his neck in succession with his next words. "Oh stodgy one?"

England gave a huff, but that didn't stop him from turning his head swiftly and pecking a kiss on America's cheek. "I'm not stodgy, I'm just a gentleman," he reminded America for what seemed like the millionth time in the last month.

"Well...I don't know if my totally, extremely, awesome... er, _surprise_," America flushed, realizing in his excitement he'd almost let his secret slip, "is something a gentleman can appreciate."

"And a stodgy person, not that I am one mind you, can?"

America bounced on the balls of his feet, reaching down and grabbing England's hand. "We're about to find out!"

* * *

He'd dragged England outside and stood him at the edge of his large backyard pool. Whale (which was a perfectly awesome name for a whale no matter what England said) had peeked out of the water's surface and floated over to where America was setting up his epic surprise.

Letting out a sing-song whine, America paused in his preparations to go give Whale a pat on the head.

"Hey there buddy, you can watch my surprise too, okay?"

Whale trilled happily and splashed around. America just laughed. This was going to be so awesome.

England, who had been looking more and more skeptical by the moment, was eyeing the row of diet Coke bottles. Well, here went nothing…

"All right!" America said loudly, hoping that Tony who was sulking inside because England was there would hear how much fun they were having and come outside. Silly alien always got weird when England came over…

"Diet coke bottles, ten count, CHECK!" He said with a flourish, moving down the said row of bottles and unscrewing all their tops. He'd arranged them in a giant V formation, and walking over to England, he steered him towards the middle of it. "One stodgy English _gentleman_, CHECK!" He said, pressing a quick kiss to England's forehead as he scowled and crossed his arms at his 'title.'

"Okay England, here's the fun part. If you are really are a gentleman, this will be downright unawesome to you." With a pout and a full dose of the baby blue eyes, he continued, "Which would totally suck because I really wanted you to enjoy this, even if it is," America adopted a British twang and finished, "right blinking mad and all that rot."

England frowned. "I am not that uptight. Really." His expression softened, and he looked a tad worried. "I have, well, gotten a bit better haven't I? Not that I've ever been uptight, mind you."

America grinned. "Recently? Well you did have some up_tight_ leather pants back in the late seventies."

With a blush, England weakly shoved America in the arm. "Oh hush, you."

"Still, this is a test! Ta-da!" He held up several rolls of Mentos. England just blinked.

"Do I even want to know?"

America just hummed, then tapped him on the nose. "Probably not, but you're about to find out. So England, what happens when you put a whole tube of Mentos into a two-liter of diet Coke?"

"Erm," England mumbled, going quiet as America started lining up test tubes full of Mentos over each two-liter. He'd already rigged a small flap over the opening, each one attached to a string. All ten of the strings, England seemed to notice as his eyes traced their paths, culminated in a pile near his feet. "Something you deem very awesome?"

America shot a smile over his shoulder at that. "And something hopefully you think is cool too, England! Because seriously, the combo of CO2, gelatin and gum arabic, and the breaking of surface tension has never looked so freaking amazing!"

Bounding over to his side, America held up the ten strings. "So, wanna find out?"

England, not about to be pegged as un-fun or uptight or whatever America planned to say of him once he got upset about this, bravely took the strings from America's hands. "As you so often say on our adventures, bring it on."

With a firm yank, the ten rows of Mentos dropped into the ten two-liters. And within seconds, every one of the bottles had erupted into a mini-geyser, all at differing heights since America had put varying amounts of Mentos in each to give it a staggered, almost beautiful, fountain-like appearance.

Of course, America had positioned them both in the fall-out zone of the sticky, fizzy mess. Center of the action, as always.

America, who was laughing and grinning like this was the best thing ever, turned to England expecting to see a scowl or at least furrowed eyebrows. Instead, he caught one of the rarest sights of all- England laughing, quietly and to himself, as he ducked his head and pressed a hand up to his lips to help stifle it. Also, and almost as rare, there was that slight quirk of a smile at the very corner of England's lips.

"So?" America practically whooped as he swung a sticky arm around England's shoulders.

"It is, well…" England turned to him, the hint of laughter still lingering in gleam of his eyes. "Quite…brill, actually."

At that, America _did_ whoop in excitement, swinging his arms around England's shoulders as if they were dancing amidst the last fizzly remains of his crazy science experiment.

Behind them, Whale trilled loudly, spouting out his own geyser of liquid from his blowhole.

"Oh bloody hell…" England swore as the cascade of pool water doused them both entirely.

"Whale!" The younger nation reprimanded, but not harshly at all.

Shaking his head, as if he was some sort of giant dog, America rested his forehead down against England's forehead. "Well, at least we aren't sticky anymore."

"Always looking on the bright side. All fun and silly things just for kicks, aren't you?" England replied, but that hint of a smile was back.

America just grinned. "Well, someone has to do it."

Quietly, as he pressed a kiss to the tip of America's nose, England murmured, "And, not to give you any ideas but… I do rather love you for it."

And for America, the ten bottle geysers in all their awesomeness were worth it for that comment alone.

THE END

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Thank you for reading and commenting! If you're interested in seeing what this experiment is, try googling "Mentos Diet Coke Geyser"


End file.
